Death God
by alexadru
Summary: Ichigo is asked, more like forced, by Urahara to test out one of his new inventions. Predictably, things went wrong and now Ichigo is in a future where he discovers that aliens called Nova are attacking mankind and where humanity's only hope lie with the Pandora. And with his luck, Ichigo lands right in the middle of all this conflict. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue - Lost Shinigami**

**xxx**

"What do you want Urahara-san? I doubt you called me here just to sit and stare at your stupid hat." Ichigo commented lazily as he sat in the middle of a small room, his cheek resting in his right hand.

At this very moment our Substitute Shinigami found himself in the very familiar Urahara Shoten, a small candy shop in the prefecture district, that no one except Rukia and lately his sister visits. The owner of said shop, a man by the name of Urahara Kisuke, sat a few feet away from the teenager, a wide smile plastered on his face, one that he tried to hide using a green and white fan, one of his favorite accessories to go with the hat and cane . His lone visible eye from behind the shadow of his hat watched the substitute in front of him intently, an unmistakable glint of amusement reflecting from the iris.

"Oh nothing special Kurosaki-san. I just wanted to see how you're doing now that your powers have returned." He started waving the fan slightly despite the pleasant temperature in the room and the warm spring breeze outside. If anything, Ichigo guessed the shopkeeper did it only to annoy him. "How does it feel now that you're back into the afterlife business?"

Ichigo's eye twitched slightly as he remembered the whole process of him getting his powers back. That Ginjou and his Xcution nearly tricked him but thanks to his Shinigami friends he was able to turn the tide and defeat him. It still didn't sit right with him that he had to kill Ginjou but people needed to learn what happens if they involve his family and friends in their business.

"It's normal." He responded calmly. Really, what other answer could he give? Being a Shinigami was never a special thing to him, he didn't feel like a hero, he felt like himself and that's how he liked it.

"That's good to hear." The shopkeeper exclaimed happily. "After all the work I put into making that reiatsu sword that restored your powers, I would have been disappointed if you were unhappy." And true enough, finding a way to return the teenager's powers did take the scientist a few good months, but with perseverance and patience, he soon discovered the solution. A massive amount of reiatsu to jump start Ichigo's powers and restore their core so that they won't fade with time.

"Yeah, I just remembered. I never got to thank you for that." Ichigo said, his posture straightening before the eyes of the shopkeeper. A curt bow and the barely audible words of gratitude in the form of a 'thank you' followed moments later. This action surprised the hat wearing man, his barely visible eyes from behind his hat's shadow, widening at the sight. Raising his right hand slightly, he stopped the boy from his current motion.

"Now, now Kurosaki-san, there's no need for that. Considering all you did for us it was the least we could do." His words carried more recognition than Ichigo had ever heard from the blond man.

Ichigo just nodded and waited for whatever the older Shinigami wanted to tell him.

"Now, let's get to the reason I called you here." The sandal wearing man closed his fan, business becoming their new subject. "You see, I have this new invention I made and I need someone to help me test it out." The sudden amusement in his voice gave the substitute a feeling of uneasy in his gut that got more pronounced as seconds passed.

"Hold on a moment." Ichigo interrupted raising his hand and halting the explanation. "By 'someone' you don't happen to mean me do you?" The orange haired boy asked, finding himself more annoyed by the dumb grin on the other man's face, a small vein twitching on his forehead and his signature scowl as striking as always.

"Why of course." Urahara exclaimed happily, his fan dancing wildly in his hand, praising Ichigo like he won some sort of prize. "You are our trusty Substitute Shinigami are you not?"

That remark won him a kick in the face. "You bastard!" Ichigo yelled as he sent the blond haired Shinigami to the ground. "What am I? Your personal guinea pig?" The evident anger in his voice would have been enough to make an unseated Shinigami from the Goyei 13 pee in his pants.

The shopkeeper however was unfazed by the display having dealt with Ichigo's temper before. Slowly getting on his elbows, his eyes met the substitute's. "But you are the only one who can help me Kurosaki-san, no one would do it." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and that pissed the Ichigo even more.

"And what makes you think I'll do it?" Ichigo asked looking at Kisuke like he was some sort of idiot. "Why don't you test it out on yourself?"

"That's not possible." Urahara got on his feet dusting his clothes slightly and fixing the hat on his head. He then looked at the teen with a serious yet calm expression. "Someone needs to operate the device from the main control center and since I built it only I know how it works."

Crossing his arms, Ichigo still refused. "Well I won't do it." His voice left no room for argument.

"This is your final answer?" The shopkeeper asked, measuring the teenager's pose.

"Yep." Ichigo answered defiantly not even bothering to look at the other man anymore.

"Then I'm afraid you don't leave me any other choice." Urahara spoke cryptically, releasing a breath. "Tessai." He called his friend.

In an instant the large ex-captain was behind Ichigo and wrapped his steel like arms around his body, capturing him. The substitute started struggling but against the sheer strength of the large man, everything he did was useless.

"Oi, Tessai-san, let me go." Of course, this being Ichigo, he wasn't about to give up that easily.

"Relax Kurosaki-san." Urahara instructed, waving his fan slightly, the same amused smile plastered on his face. "Besides, I'm sure you'll change your mind about helping me out soon enough." The shopkeeper told him joyously. Ichigo's struggle ceased for the moment as he concentrated a glare at the scientist, telling him to explain what he meant.

"Why, I'm talking about what you and Riruka-san did a few weeks ago. I'm sure you don't want anyone to know about that." He told him simply, giving him a knowing look.

It took a few moments for Ichigo to process what the shopkeeper told him, but when it finally did, his face reddened in embarrassment. "How do you know about that?" Ichigo asked incredulously, but then it hit him. "You asshole, don't tell me you were there watching us?"

Kisuke just laughed. "Not just that Kurosaki-san, I even recorded you." He told the substitute shocking him even more. "Oh, by the way. Yoruichi-san is in Soul Society now visiting captain Soifon. All it takes is one small call and she'll give the video to the Shinigami Women Association." Urahara was watching the boy in anticipation. "So, what do you say Kurosaki-san? Did you change your mind?"

"...Go get eaten by a hollow." Ichigo complained silently as Tessai released him.

"Wonderful." Urahara was delighted by his answer. "Now, follow me."

**xxx **

"And here it is!" Urahara unveiled his masterpiece from under a curtain. "I'm quite proud how this one turned out." Kisuke boasted with pride, to him this invention was one that would revolutionize mankind.

Unfortunately for him, Ichigo didn't share the same enthusiasm. He just stared at the contraption with a mixed but otherwise not impressed expression. "Urahara-san, it's just a shower cabin with some wires and a panel with buttons." And true enough, the device did resembled a shower cabin, only difference were the hi-tech wires and devices attached to it, giving it a more sci-fi look.

"It's more than that Kurosaki-san." Urahara spoke, his enthusiasm not lessening in the slightest. "It's actually a teleporter."

"A teleporter?" Ichigo repeated surprised. "Why would you need something like that?" He didn't get it, didn't Shinigami have Senkaimons and didn't the shopkeeper also created a garganta? Why would he need something like a teleporter.

"It's quite simple. You see, a Senkaimon and a Garganta are used to travel between the Soul Society, the Real World and Hueco Mundo. However, this teleporter can be used to travel long distances instantly in the same dimension. Do you understand now? Senkaimons and Gargantas are for inter dimensional travels while my teleporter is for intra dimensional travel. I wonder what kind of name I should give it." He started thinking of a name.

"You can do that later." Ichigo interrupted, hoping to speed things up. "What exactly do you need me for?"

"Why I need you to see if it works of course. Here, put this on." The shopkeeper then gave the substitute a weird metal helmet that was oddly familiar to the substitute.

Reluctantly, Ichigo took it and looked at it a couple of seconds, well, more like glared at it. "How are you sure this thing of yours won't kill me or send me to the Moon?"

"I've tested a prototype a few months ago when I sent some items to the Vizard's warehouse and it worked like a charm. Now I just need to make sure it works with living beings as well." Urahara informed the scowling teen. "Now, put it on so we can begin."

Ichigo tried putting the helmet on but it was proving quite difficult, it was like it had a mind of its own. It refuses to get on the boy's head no matter how hard he pushed. "The hell? How do you put this on?" Ichigo asked, pissed that he was failing to do even such a simple matter. Once he saw the glint in Kisuke's eye, he got another bad feeling.

"Easy! All you have to do is say: 'Oh sacred helmet of might. Infuse me with your courage, inject your life into me, penetrate my being with your technology and enable me to fly between distances quicker than you can say Urahara Kisuke is a genius.' And that's the incantation, come on, try it."

Ichigo just stared at him, his scowl visibly more pronounced that before. "That's stupid, I'm not doing it."

No problem, Urahara simply took out a phone out of his pocket and starting dialing a number. "Hello Yoruichi-san, it's me, Kisuke. How is your little visit going? I hope they're giving you enough milk. Now, about the things I told you about, it seems that you will have to..."He was quickly interrupted by Ichigo's yells.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it." He watched how Urahara bid his goodbyes to Yoruichi-san and looked at him expectantly. Cursing, Ichigo said the entire incantation and in an instant the helmet latched to his head like glue. The substitute had no doubt that it was another one of the shopkeeper's irritating pranks. "There, happy?" Ichigo asked sarcastically.

"Quite, now step inside." He motioned for the chamber.

Once inside, Ichigo scowled at the scientist from behind the glass as he watched him press numerous buttons. At one point Urahara started laughing like a madman, his shadow flickering in the dim light of the room, making the whole scene look like something out of a Frankenstein or Mr. Hyde movie. The shopkeeper quickly shut up and regained his composure but not before giving Ichigo the most crooked smile he had ever seen.

"Ready?" Urahara asked, his voice holding an almost palpable amount of excitement. Before Ichigo could even answer, he had already pressed the 'Start' button.

He then took a step back and watched his invention begin the process. The destination he had entered was the outside of his shop so that he could find out immediately if his device worked or not. He watched the generators light up with a blue color as the chamber where Ichigo stood started vibrating.

It was working, his invention was working. Kisuke felt proud of himself.

'Warning! Warning! Foreign reiatsu contamination imminent. All systems have been reset to overload mode.' The sudden warning alarmed Kisuke.

"What?" Urahara exclaimed caught off guard by the sudden error. He ran to the controls and started pressing buttons madly. He didn't even get to do anything as the entire console exploded in his face, pieces of the screen as well as sparks flying wildly in the room. Covering his eyes, he forgot about the console and went to the container to check on the substitute's condition.

"Kurosaki-san!" He yelled out. The brightness made him unable to see what was happening inside. Reaching behind, he quickly unplugged the main power cord and all the generators turned off. The light diminished gradually until it returned to normal. Checking the chamber again, Kisuke noted with terror that it was empty, Ichigo had disappeared.

"Oh boy, this is not good." He muttered as worry started invading his body. Wherever the substitute ended, he hoped he would be alright.

**xxx**

AN: The beginning of another story. What am I even thinking? I can barely update my other story and here I am starting another one. Well, I'll manage somehow.

Before any of you tell me, the answer is yes. Yes, the beginning is similar with Constantin3e's story, 'Nova Rising' which I recommend that you check out, it's pretty good. But from here it will be different, I have other plans for Ichigo.

Only one question. Were Urahara and Ichigo in character? I tried my best to portray them but it didn't feel that good to me. I hope it'll get better with time.

That's it for now. Bye bye.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hey guys. First off let me say that I'm impressed. 13 reviews, 37 favorites and 68 follows for just the first chapter is a personal record. It's more than all my other stories combined. Thank you for all the support.

And now the chapter. Enjoy.

**Chapter 2 - Back to school**

**xxx**

Ichigo blinked once, then twice as he stood in front of Urahara's shop looking at it like it was some odd sight from a circus. To him it had only been a couple of minutes since he saw the small building yet despite that he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong with the current sight from his view. The once small and reclusive shop turned into a mansion that would make Byakuya's look like some cardboard box.

At first, the teenager thought that Kisuke's contraption failed and sent him to another place, but the large banner above the front entrance put an end to that though. It was written clearly 'Urahara Shoten' with large capital letters.

The substitute Shinigami then took the liberty to check the surroundings as well. Much to his unease he discovered that not only the shopkeeper's home had changed but the entire street as well. Ichigo got the odd feeling that this sudden change extended not only to his surroundings but to the entire city as well and it was starting to scare him.

Turning to face the shop, he started thinking about what could have happened, this was way too weird. _"Alright, so Urahara-san told me to test that stupid machine of his, he then made me say some ridiculous chant for this hideous helmet and then he told me to enter that shower cabin."_ Ichigo was recounting the events with a hand under his chin and his best interpretation of a thinking pose, which looked like his regular scowling face, only difference was that the scowl was more pronounced. _"Then that bastard started pressing buttons like he was at some whack a mole game, the whole thing then started shaking and I was engulfed in a bright light. Then I found myself standing in front of what looks to be his shop."_

After about 5 minutes he couldn't come up with anything so he gave up much to his annoyance. Not knowing what to do, he started walking towards the building. Who knows, maybe that sandal wearing bastard was inside and could tell him what happened. As he approached the entrance he griped the ridiculous helmet on his head and removed it quickly.

Gripping the handle tightly, he slid the door open and almost fell as his eyes fixed on the new interior. Statues and priceless tableaus were displayed everywhere, exotic plants along with interior water fountains that were probably made from some really expensive stone and the finishing touch, a red carpet that extended to the other side of the large estate. Ichigo was once again questioning if this really was the same shop, but he doubted there were any other Uraharas around.

"Oi, Urahara-san, you home?" He yelled at the hall, the echo doing a good job at amplifying his voice. After waiting a few moments, he got no reply. He was pondering whether to go and check every room, but decided against it. He'd rather not fall victim again to one of Kisuke's wacky creations nor did he want to 'accidentally' be greeted by a naked Yoruichi.

But it seemed that luck was on his side for once as a side door opened on Ichigo's right side. Looking in that direction, Ichigo was met with a familiar figure, it was none other than the blond shopkeeper himself, wearing the same ugly hat, green garbs and irritating fan of his.

"Kurosaki-san." The blond greeted calmly. "I see that you finally arrived. I've been expecting you for quite a while now." He commented cryptically, yet he couldn't help but smile at seeing the orange haired boy again.

But the substitute paid no mind to the shopkeeper's demeanor, instead he started complaining. "Urahara-san, what the hell is going on? What happened with your old dump and Karaku-..." He was stopped mid sentence as Kisuke raised one of his hands to halt his array of questions.

"Kurosaki-san, I understand your confusion." The seriousness in his voice as well as the lack of his usual annoying smile made Ichigo silent. Seeing the normally happy and ridiculous shopkeeper act like this was a rare sight, one that made the substitute realize that whatever happened was serious. "Fear not, I will answer all your questions and explain everything to you. But let's make ourselves a little comfortable first." He then motioned for Ichigo to follow him into the same room he exited not one minute ago.

Frowning at the whole action, Ichigo reluctantly followed the shopkeeper, his curiosity winning over his desire to lash out and chew him. Stepping inside, the boy was surprised to see a simple room, one that had just one round table in the middle with a few seats. On the table there were two cups of hot tea, Ichigo guessed it was the same green tea Urahara usually served them with. The shopkeeper simply took a seat at one side leaving Ichigo to follow his example and sit on the other side. The two males were now in front of one another.

The next two minutes were spent doing nothing. The occupants of the room simply stared at each other without muttering even a word. Ichigo was slowly losing his patience, the shopkeeper said he will explain everything, but here they are sitting in an empty room watching each other like they were at some staring competition. His eyebrow started twitching when Urahara made a move, unfortunately he simply grabbed his tea cup and took a sip before he returned to their staring.

"Kurosaki-san." Urahara finally started, another minute and Ichigo would have exploded. "Before I explain the situation, what is the last thing you remember?" The shopkeeper asked, raising his head slightly giving the teenager a shadowed view of his eyes.

Scowling, but actually glad that he thought about this before hand, Ichigo answered. "You put me in that stupid shower machine of yours, you started pressing buttons like a madman, then you started running around and then everything went white. Next thing I know, I find myself standing in front of a remodeled version of your old shop and when I looked around everything was different as well. What happened? Did that ridiculous invention of yours fail or something?" Ichigo asked looking at the shopkeeper intently.

Kisuke merely smiled and started waving his fan, a gesture which annoyed the substitute. "On the contrary Kurosaki-san. My 'Super Instant Teleporter Mark 1' worked perfectly." He promptly ignored Ichigo's amused snort and slight jab at his naming skills. "In fact, I'd say it worked too well." He continued looking at the substitute with the same wicked smile.

Ichigo regained his frown immediately. "What do you mean 'it worked too well'? Urahara-san, what the hell did your invention do?" He asked getting more nervous by the second. A feeling of unease settle in his gut again as he waited for the shopkeeper to answer.

Of course, this being Kisuke, the answer would come in a roundabout way. "Back then, when I activated the SIT Mark 1 an unexpected phenomenon occurred. You see, when I first designed the device I wanted it to be something that all Shinigami can use so I had it set to be able to transfer Shinigami reiatsu. However, when I tested it on you, something went wrong and you disappeared. After I gave it some thought I realized why that happened, I didn't take into account your hollow reiatsu. It overloaded the system causing it to malfunction and altered the whole process."

"And what does that mean?" Ichigo yelled getting impatient, both his teeth and fists gritted tightly.

"It means that my device did work, but in a slightly different way. It brought you to the selected destination but it also sent you through time. So now." He paused slightly making Ichigo feel very uncomfortable. "Now, you're in the year 2065." Kisuke exclaimed closing his fan and pointing it at Ichigo.

"...What?"

**xxx**

West Genetics, one of the two military academies operated by the Chevalier in Japan along with East Genetics. It is home to the most powerful Pandoras in the entire world and also the site for the latest Nova Clash, the 10th one. After a hard fight, the Pandoras were able to defeat the four Type-S Novas that were after The Holy Corpse, the body of the first Pandora, Maria Lancelot.

Walking on campus now was Aoi Kazuya, a first year student and also Aoi Gengo's grandson and the late Aoi Kazuha's little brother. He is a teenage boy of average height, average build with black hair and brown eyes. Despite being physically unimpressive, his innate skills make him one of the most powerful Limiters in West Genetics. Notion accentuated by the fact that he can create a Freezing Field without and Ereinbar Set.

Currently, he was heading towards the cafeteria to meet with his partner, Satellizer el Bridget, the 'Untouchable Queen' herself. Despite having not done the Baptism a Pandora and her partner usually do, Kazuya still viewed himself as her Limiter and much to his delight, Satellizer accepted him, though it did take a bit of time for her to say 'Yes'. Their relationship has been great since then, their latest trip to Bali to visit her sister, Violet el Bridget, solidified their feelings for one another even more even with the incident concerning her brother, Louis el Bridget.

But even that unpleasant encounter showed Kazuya how kind his Pandora partner is. He saw it in her eyes, when Louis jumped off the cliff she immediately rushed after him. There had been no hesitation in her eyes, her desire to save her brother overpowering the hatred she bared for him. And that said a lot about her, despite her reputation at West Genetics, she's a really nice girl, one that every man would kill for.

He actually felt lucky that he was allowed such privilege. It meant a lot to him, more than the girl imagined at first. Even a casual meeting at the cafeteria is enough to send his heart racing like it was at some Formula 1 event. And the butterflies in his stomach were rolling around like a meth crazed hamster on a wheel, desperately trying to outdo his old record.

Slapping himself, Kazuya made all those strange comparisons disappear. How did he even come up with something like that? This was the effect his senpai had on him, she was making him feel all these emotions without even realizing it.

Entering the cafeteria, the young Limiter set on finding his partner. It didn't take long until he saw the familiar speck of her vast blond hair. She appeared to be sitting in the remote part of the cafeteria, far away from the main place where the other Pandoras and Limiters were seated. Even after opening up to him and coming out her shell, some of her old 'Untouchable Queen' traits still lingered. No matter, he would make sure to help her express herself in the future and with the main reason gone, the road ahead was very straight.

Making his way to her, he arrived at her table just in time to witness her head turn slightly towards him. Such a simple move almost froze him in place, her mesmerizing ocean blue eyes coming in contact with his own, her long hair flowing freely in the aftermath of her movement. The two teens looked at one another, unsure of what to say.

"G-Good morning senpai. I hope you are well today." The boy spoke hastily as he took a seat at the table across her. It's as he expected, his feelings are making him feel nervous.

The girl only smiled and gave a greeting of her own. "Good morning Kazuya." Her soft, melodious voice made the boy forget about the world around him, his every sense focused on the blonde in front of him like she was the center of his Universe. Unaware of the effect she had on him, she replied with the same soft tone. "I am well today, thank you for coming."

"Of course I'd come." Kazuya exclaimed as he leaned in slightly, his eyes filled with conviction. "I'm your Limiter after all, of course I'd come if you called for me." The seriousness in his voice made it seem like it was some life or death request when in fact it was only a invitation to have lunch together.

"I'm glad you could come then." Satelizer smiled as she pointed at the tray on her table that had at least 8 burgers. Kazuya slightly wondered how could she eat these many hamburgers and not gain weight. He could only come up with 2 answers. The first was probably because of her Pandora training and fights that burned many calories. As for the second one, well it involved two female organs that were very developed with the British Pandora. The boy started blushing thinking it was inappropriate of him to even have such thoughts.

"Kazuya?" The questioning voice broke the boy's trail of thoughts as he was made aware of his surroundings again. Looking at his partner he could see that she already finished her first burger and was well into her second. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Oh, I'll take one. Thank you." He hastily picked one and took a bite.

After a few minutes as Kazuya was just beginning his second burger, the girl broke the silence again. "Kazuya." This got his attention as he looked at her with a curious expression on his face, not stopping his chewing. "I-I want to..uh." She was struggling to form words as her eyes closed tightly. "Thank you!" She exclaimed suddenly.

"Eh, you're welcome? But I'm not sure I understand." Kazuya replied not quite understanding what she was saying all of a sudden.

"For staying with me and believing in me back in Bali." Her quiet and shy demeanor coupled with the cute blush on her cheeks and averted eyes was just too much for the boy to take. "And for fighting with me." She finished her sentence looking at him through her semi rimmed glasses with a slight thanking smile.

Kazuya too smiled at her, though his was more pronounced and cheerful. The familiar rosy coloring appearing on his cheeks as he started conveying his emotions. "Stella-senpai, I already told you. I'll always be with you and fight with you because you're my precious person. Whatever will happen, I'll be there to support you." Kazuya scratched his cheek awkwardly as he looked at his half eaten burger, too embarrassed to see the Pandora's reaction.

Hearing him talk that way made the blonde girl's head as red as a tomato. It was clear as day that he cared a great deal about her, just as obvious as her feelings about him. She remembered when she boldly proclaimed her love for the younger Limiter several times in front of her brother, once even with said boy listening. But now, in this relaxed and casual environment, she was a having a difficult time expressing the same emotions again. _'No, I'll do it this time.'_ Steeling herself, the blonde Pandora silently decided that she would do it with Kazuya, the Baptism that is.

"Kazuya." She began softly, looking up slightly, their eyes coming in contact. "W-would you l-like..." Just as she was to invite him to her room again, she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of familiar Pandora.

"Good morning Kazuya-kun, Satellizer-san." It was none other than the Tibetan Pandora, Rana Linchen. A girl of average height with dark purple hair tied into a ponytail on her left side, dark purple eyes, same as her hair, all while wearing the standard Pandora uniform. What gives her a unique feel is the blue tattoo on her left cheek underneath her eye as well as her way of ending sentences, adding 'de arimasu' after everything.

"Good morning Rana." Kazuya greeted slightly disheartened at having his moment interrupted but he didn't have the heart to tell the naive Pandora that, he feared it would ruin her happy demeanor. "How are you?" He added after a few moments of pause when he realized that the blond girl wasn't going to greet the other Pandora.

"I was searching for you Kazuya-kun. We should spend some time together, it's what Pandoras and Limiters do right?" The usual thing, Kazuya remarked. Apparently he was chosen as her 'soul mate' according to her stigmata or 'Tears of Kunlun' as she calls them.

"W-what are you talking about?" Satellizer demanded slapping her hands on the table and glaring at the other girl. "Kazuya is my Limiter, you can't do that with him." She tried sounding fierce but her embarrassment was getting to her and as a result, Rana was not impressed by her display.

"You say he's your Limiter yet you didn't do the Baptism yet, did you?" The fallen expression on the blond girl's face gave the answer. Grinning at her victory, Rana turned to the dark haired boy. "So what do you say Kazuya-kun?" She asked giving him a wide smile.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Kazuya tried to come up with something that won't hurt both girls. He didn't have much but an idea did form in his mind and with a bit of luck it might save him. "Uh Rana, we were eating so how about we do this some other time."

Curiously, the Tibetan Pandora finally noticed the food on the table. "Oh, this almost looks like a feast." Taking a seat at the table, she cheerfully began gulping down the mass of food, of course, not before announcing the well known 'Itadakimasu'.

Kazuya watched her for a few moments before turning to look at the blond Pandora. He gave her an apologetic look and a smile, action returned by her as well. The Tibetan Pandora however, remained clueless to this interaction, too caught up with ingesting as much food as possible.

After nearly an hour the trio found themselves walking on the campus, each sporting various expressions. Rana was as cheerful as always, Satellizer instead was calm and collected doing everything not to glance at the other Pandora while Kazuya tried to play peace maker.

"Ahh, that was so good. West Genetics really has great food." The purple haired girl exclaimed happily while rubbing her stomach. The small feast really pleased her, though part of the reason could be because it was Satellizer who paid for the food. The dark haired boy only smiled at her nervously.

Walking along, the blond couldn't help but wonder how did her intimate moment with Kazuya turn into this. _'Why is she following us?'_ As one would expect, her current position was not to her liking. She had no desire to be near the Tibetan Pandora, it's not like they were friends. Right?

"Huh, what's going on over there?" Rana asked suddenly. Following her gaze, the other 2 teens saw what made the Pandora ask.

A large gathering was seen in the middle of the campus. Pandoras and Limiters from different years were seen forming a circle around something and by the noise they were making, whatever it was must be quite interesting. Closing in on the group, Kazuya saw a few third year Pandoras that he recognized. It seemed that they did something to attract all this attention.

"Okay. We got all the people we need." A tall dark skinned Pandora with silver hair and blue eyes announced cheerfully. "This isn't a lecture either so go change into gym shorts. Once everyone's ready, we can make the teams."

Kazuya recognized her as Creo Brand, West Genetics rank number 5 and also a Pandora that fought with Satellizer and Rana when Attia tricked them. But despite that, it seems that there was no bad blood between them as Rana went to her, her personality as cheerful as ever.

"Hey!" Rana exclaimed, making her presence known. "I know how to play soccer too." Soccer huh? So this gathering is for a game of soccer between Pandoras with the third years hosting the event.

"Oh, you're Rana Linchen." Creo acknowledged as recognized the other girl. Like Rana, it seemed that she held no grudge either given that her smile was still in place and she didn't seem bothered by their arrival. Next to her a blonde Pandora regarded them with a surprised expression. Kazuya remember seeing her a few times, Elizabeth Mably, Third Year second rank, also one of the most beautiful Pandoras at West Genetics.

"Can we play as well Creo-senpai, Elizabeth-senpai?" The purple haired Pandora asked, eager to participate in any activity she could. "Me and Satellizer-san that is." Rana then pointed her hand at the blond Pandora behind catching her off guard.

Immediately, murmurs filled the small area. Things ranging from: _'The Untouchable Queen, she'll beat you to a pulp if you look at her.'_ to _'She'll rip your neck off if you foul her.'_ were heard, most of which bothered the bespectacled Pandora.

"Sorry, I don't want to." Satellizer refused quickly and turned around to leave, not wanting to hear more of the whispers.

"Hold on." Rana however was having none of that. Walking to the blond Pandora, she closed the distance between them until her mouth was next to her ear. Covering the gap slightly with her hand, she started whispering. "Why don't we make a little bet? Whoever wins gets to eat alone with Kazuya-kun next time. The loser has to leave them alone."

Such a proposal instantly caught Satellizer's attention. "So if I win I don't have to deal with you following us around all day?" She questioned looking interested in the offer.

"Same goes here." Rana confirmed crossing her arms at her chest, a confident expression plastered on her face.

It didn't take long for a decision to be made. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll play!" Both girls then started glaring at each other as they almost butted heads. "You just dug your own grave. England is the home of soccer." Satellizer boasted trying to scare the other girl off.

"Don't underestimate the power of my Tibetan soccer." Rana countered with her own jab. After another seconds of glaring they turned away and started marching to the field to decide the teams.

Meanwhile, being a spectator to their interaction, Kazuya watched helplessly as the two Pandoras waged war against one another. He was starting to think that they were taking this whole thing way to seriously. Releasing a breath, he hesitantly went after them, he could at least cheer for them. He was slightly thankful that it was a soccer match instead of an actual fight, maybe this way things won't be so bad. Or that's what he wanted to believe, but the uneasy feeling in his stomach told him otherwise.

**xxx**

Unknown to the dark haired Limiter, a few hundred miles away from West Genetics another boy, this time with orange hair was having it a lot harder than him. Kurosaki Ichigo was still silent after hearing the shocking news from the older Shinigami.

It's been about 2 minutes since he informed the substitute and this lack of response was beginning to worry the scientist. "Uh, Kurosaki-san?" No reaction. Urahara then started waving his fan at the boy's face, still nothing. Giving up, he settled for waiting.

He didn't have to wait much though. "2065..." Ichigo's voice was only a whisper as he barely managed to form words. "2065." This time it was cleared as his voice got harder. "2065." The substitutes entire body started shaking as his hand gripped the round table like it was some mortal enemy. Kisuke also heard the sound of teeth clenching, he began preparing for the worst.

And then, like a hurricane, the wind blew. "What the hell do mean it's 2065!?" The table went flying narrowly missing the shopkeeper, the tea spilled on the floor as the cups broke on contact. None of this bothered the sandal wearing man as his attention was focused of the fuming teenager.

"It's exactly as you heard Kurosaki-san. You traveled over fifty years into the future." Urahara confirmed, before he smiled wildly, the familiar dumb grin that annoyed Ichigo taking possession of his face. "It's not that big of a fuss as you make it though. You should feel quite honored Kurosaki-san, you're the first person ever that traveled through time." Sadly however, Ichigo wasn't the type of person that would care for such things.

"Like I give a shit, send me back." The substitute demanded, clearly unamused by the situation.

Waving his fan slightly, the green clothed man considered the request for a few moments. "Sorry, I can't do that."

"What?" The substitute yelled. "But you built that thing, didn't you? You better not be screwing with me you bastard. I'm not in the mood for your jokes now." Ichigo kept glaring daggers at the sandal wearing man, hoping to kill him on the spot.

Kisuke only released a breath. "Allow me explain Kurosaki-san. Things are a lot more complicated than you believe. First, you must understand that time travel is still an area outside of my expertise and because your accident was an unexplained phenomenon, I could not replicate it. After your disappearance I tried using the SIT Mark 1 again, but every time my teleported would only send the person in front of my shop like it was originally invented. For the next few week I was stumped, I had no idea where to begin searching for you, for all I knew, my device could have sent you to the other side of the Universe." Honestly, such thoughts were beginning to scare Ichigo.

"But wait." Ichigo interrupted as he took a seat on the floor again, eyes focused on the shopkeeper. "Just now you told me that I traveled through time, how could you have known that?"

Kisuke only smiled. "It's simple. I know because you told me." This answer shocked Ichigo as he was starting to get confused. When did he tell him that? He just learned of this himself. Thankfully, an answer came moments later. "A few months after that accident, on one day you suddenly appeared in front of my shop without any warning. Believe me, I was so shocked I could barely react. After that you told me everything that happened to you, how you went in time due to your unique reiatsu affecting my device, everything that's going on in the future, of Earth's current condition and how I will build a device that can send you back into the past."

"You know how to send me back to the past?" Ichigo asked, getting some hope.

"Not yet. From what the future you told me, I will need a sample of your reiatsu for me to analyze and a few months for me to find a way modify my device and send you back." Urahara informed him.

"Assuming everything goes well that is." Ichigo commented dryly, scowling at scientist knowing that with him nothing will be easy.

"Don't be like that Kurosaki-san." Urahara replied with a joyous voice, his amused smile pissing Ichigo off. "When have I ever disappointed you?" Ichigo only gave him an 'are you an idiot' face as he glared at the blond Shinigami. Catching on, Urahara only tipped his hat over his eyes a bit more. "I see, but if it's any consolation, I will send you back to the past eventually."

Ichigo only snorted. "Yeah, let's hope you do. So how am I supposed to give you some of my reiatsu?" Ichigo questioned, ready to do anything in order for him to return to his time.

Urahara's only response was a smile. "That's easy, simply channel some of it into this." The older Shinigami then revealed a crystal sphere that was very familiar to Ichigo. Seeing how the substitute was struggling to remember when he used such a thing, Kisuke informed him. "It's made from the same type of Spirit Gathering Stone as the ones you used at Kuukaku-san's place when you went to Soul Society to rescue Rukia."

Finally remembering the event, Ichigo took the crystal from the shopkeeper's hands and examined it for a few seconds, trying to get the feel of it again. Breathing deeply a few times, his hand began glowing as his reiatsu started pumping inside, the entire crystal beginning to glow a light blue color.

"Now, leaving that aside, there are a few more things I should tell you. It concern the current situation humanity finds itself in." Ichigo only raised his eyebrow, looking at the other man expectantly. The shopkeeper was serious again so he might as well listen to him a bit more. "It all started around fifty years ago when a sudden tear in the dimension happened." Urahara then went on explaining everything about the Nova's. How the first one's appeared, how many more started appearing, how humanity invented the Pandora and Limiter system to fight back and defend themselves from the alien invaders.

At the end of the whole explanation, Ichigo was really confused and his headache wasn't helping either. "Alright, let's go through this one more time to make sure I got it. What are Novas, Pandoras and Limiters? And what is this Chevalier organization and West Genetics?" Ichigo asked rubbing his temples with one hand. He was feeling tired, it had been a pretty long day for him. Maybe the whole time travel thing, as well as the crystal in his hands exhausted his body more than he expected. He only hoped this would be the last part of the day.

The blond man only watched him for a few moments before he began with his explanation. "Novas are extraterrestrial beings from another dimension that appeared in the Real World one day and started wreaking havoc. Even to this day we still don't know the reason for their invasion. What we do know is that during every appearance, they targeted and annihilated humans, no form of communication was established between us. Because of that, humans have been at war with the Novas for decades. That's where Chevalier comes in, a military organization founded for one purpose only, to fight against the Novas."

"Together with scientists from all over the world, Chevalier designed the Pandora system. Using samples from the Nova tissues, they managed to create Stigmatas that are implanted into girls making them capable of fighting against the Novas by summoning 'Volt Weapon'. But even then there was a problem. You see, Novas fight by deploying a 'Freezing' field on the ground that immobilizes everything, making and easy target even out of the strongest Pandoras. At that moment, the Limiter comes in. Limiters, similarly to Novas have the ability to deploy their own 'Freezing' field to cancel out the Nova's field. Both Pandoras and Limiters are trained at special military academies called Genetics." Urahara paused to let information settle with the orange hair boy.

Ichigo could only scowl at what he heard, it seemed that no matter where he went, there was something major going on and it was just his luck to land in the middle of it. But he could look at the bright side for once, at least this whole Nova thing didn't have anything to do with him.

"Now, as for your new quarters, I already got you enrolled into Japan's West Genetics." The shopkeeper told him suddenly surprising him.

"What?" Ichigo asked confused. "What do you mean you got me into Genetics or whatever? In case you forgot I'm not one of those Pandoras or Limiters that can fight against the Novas." The substitute spoke quickly feeling a vein twitch on his forehead, a familiar feeling of annoyance rising within him.

"No, you're not." Urahara confirmed, fully agreeing with him. "But you've only been in 2065 for about an hour and you will spend a few months here while I build the device. It's best if you learn about Nova's and what better way to learn than from the same place that breeds out the soldiers that can fight them." Smiling at the teenager, Urahara tilted his hat to cover his face a bit more.

Ichigo however was not impressed, rather he was getting ticked off by the plans the scientist was making without even consulting with him. He was getting pretty sick of having his life planned out step by step by others. "And why should I go there then? Can't I stay here?" Ichigo questioned.

Kisuke only raised his right hand extending two of his fingers. "For two reasons. The first reason is because your future self, not knowing if he would ever return, decided it would be the best thing to do. Even after finding a way to send him back, he told me that that you should attend as well when you would arrive in the future and I personally agree with this as well. And the second reason, honestly speaking Kurosaki-san, the Pandoras as well as humanity needs every help it can get. Believe me, the number of casualties during the Nova Clashes are enough to make even me fear for the future of humanity."

Ichigo only watched the shopkeeper as he considered his options. Honestly, going to this West Genetics and fighting these Novas felt like it was going to be a big pain in the ass for him, the same type he usually got into willingly or dragged into by Fate's sense of humor. But if his future self also said that he should do it then maybe he should give it a try. Knowing himself, his future self most likely had a good reason for thinking it's a good idea, and truth be told, he also didn't like hearing that people got killed fighting these things. His innate protector instincts were triggered and he soon came to a decision.

"Alright I'll do it." Ichigo said finally, his ever present scowl as firm as ever.

"Wonderful." Kisuke exclaimed, once again smiling and cheering like an idiot. "Let's finish the preparations then. Follow me." He stood up and motioned for the substitute to go after him with a simple hand gesture.

Exasperated by the whole day, Ichigo stood and exited the room and went after the shopkeeper. As he trailed a few feet behind the sandal wearing man, he suddenly processed a word the shopkeeper said. "Wait, preparation?" the substitute asked, confusion embedded in his voice.

The older Shinigami was glad to answer him seeing that he spent quite a bit of time planning the best course of action. "Yes, ever since you've returned to the past and you told me of our future, I've been preparing for this day making sure I had everything ready when you'd arrive." Stopping outside of another door, Urahara introduced a code in a keyboard next to it. In a second, the device blinked a green color and the door was unlocked.

Stepping inside, Ichigo saw that he ended in a huge room with what he guessed, were Kisuke's inventions. Looking around, his eyes fell onto the one that started the whole mess, the same one that made his life difficult now. Tearing his eyes off of it, Ichigo preferred to look at the older Shinigami instead, him and that shower cabin weren't exactly best friends.

Kisuke paid no mind to him though as he searched for something on one of the tables. After five minutes, it seemed that he was successful in his hunt as he started jumping around in happiness while holding a small metal box in his hands. After regaining his composure, but not losing the smile, he turned to the teenager and opened the box with a key, revealing its contents.

"Here Kurosaki-san, take this." Curious, Ichigo approached the scientist with a small degree of caution. When he was close enough to get a view inside, he stopped, gazed at the contents and almost fell in shock.

"A candy?" Ichigo nearly screamed incredulously, glaring at Kisuke thinking it was another one of his stupid, completely not funny jokes.

Urahara was not bothered by the reaction, he expected it in fact. "Not quite Kurosaki-san. It's actually something that will help you fight the Novas. Come on, swallow it deep." The former captain chuckled at the face the substitute was making. He couldn't help but admit that he enjoyed riling Ichigo up, if only to see what reaction he'd get from the scowling teenager. And like always, he didn't disappoint.

The glare on the orange haired boy's face was as hard as ever. "Heck no, I'm done playing test subject for another one of your shitty creations."Turning around, he looked away from the scientist, arms folded around his chest while he held a defiant expression.

"You don't have to worry about anything this time Kurosaki-san. I told you, I've been preparing this for decades so there's no risk involved. Besides, this time I'm sure it will work, you future self took one too and he had no problems." Kisuke negotiated slowly, knowing that Ichigo would give in sooner or later.

Releasing a tired breath, the substitute faced forward and hesitantly took the small candy pill. Starring daggers at it, he hoped it would disappear suddenly to save him the trouble. Now that he thought about it, how did he even knew that Kisuke was telling the truth? For all he knew, he could make things up about his future self doing some things and he'd do the same only because of that. Grumbling to himself, he threw the candy in his mouth and started chewing. Surprisingly, it tasted like chocolate, his favorite food, perhaps this wasn't as bad as he first thought.

After swallowing the contents, he waited a few moments before turning to the scientist, who was grinning at the boy. Getting annoyed again, Ichigo was about to retort when an intense pain invaded his whole body. His body fell, the legs no longer able to support the weight, his face hit the cold floor as a window shattering scream escaped his throat. He was burning, the bones were cracking and his meat and organs were beginning to melt. It felt like his whole soul went berserk, shattering and destroying him from the inside.

The scientist merely held onto his cane as he observed the suffering teen, not even a word escaping his lips, his expression hidden by the hat and the darkness of the room.

Ichigo felt like his body was seconds from evaporating, but just as he was about to lose conscious, everything stopped. Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized that the terror ended, as abruptly as it came, the pain vanished without a trace. He breathed heavily as he managed to get on his knees, his whole body immersed in his cold sweat. _'Damn, I'm really gonna need a shower after this'_.

As his body returned to normal, or at least close to it, he got on his feet again and instantly started roaring at the still silent but still annoying shopkeeper. "You bastard. What was that? You said this thing would work." Feeling stupid, Ichigo knew he shouldn't have given in so easily about taking that candy.

Urahara only chuckled as he fixed his hat. "Oh but it did work Kurosaki-san. What you felt was the candy taking effect." Urahara informed him, looking quite pleased with himself as he took his fan again and started waving it. "Now, why don't you try summoning your zanpakutou."

Forgetting about the anger, Ichigo looked at him as if he suddenly grew another head. "My zanpakutou? What are you talk-" He was interrupted mid sentence as he felt a familiar weight in his right hand. Much to his shock, the familiar shape of Zangetsu had morphed out of nowhere.

Kisuke only nodded, pleased with the result. "Good job. With this, dispatching the Novas should be an easy task for you. What my candy did was to bring out your Shinigami powers so that you could use them with your real body. Because of that, right now your live body is as strong as your spirit form." The scientist informed the teenager seeing his confused expression.

"For real?" Ichigo asked incredulously as his eyes left the large cleaver. "What about Bankai?" He had to know, despite his new excitement, he had to know the limits to his body.

Smiling at the teenager, Urahara informed him. "Your Bankai won't be a problem either. In fact, the only form that might strain your body is your Final Getsuga Tenshou, but even with that you should be able to fight for a while. Kurosaki-san, I tried my best to make this thing work, give me a bit of credit." The blonde haired man whined comically.

Ichigo only snorted as he made the large blade disappear. Staring at his hand a few more seconds, he looked at the other man again and scowled at him. "Don't push it."

"Right, now come here." Pointing at another device, Ichigo followed the scientist until he arrived at some sort of table that went inside a chamber. Kisuke then gave him an expectant smile.

Reluctantly, Ichigo laid on the cold plastic bench or whatever it was and waited. He felt the device begin to tremble as it started moving, slowly inserting itself inside the contraption. It only took a couple of seconds and the process was over. Ichigo was glad that this went as smoothly as it did, he might have not been able to deal with another candy experience.

"So what did this thing do?" He couldn't help but ask.

Urahara was happy to answer that. "This device measures your potential as a Limiter, it shows your compatibility rate with Stigmata and we can see how strong of a Limiter you'll be." Urahara then pressed a few buttons and the results appeared on a monitor. Upon seeing them, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I expected as much." He commented, shaking his head slightly.

"What does it say?" Ichigo inquired trying to decipher what was on the screen but failing horribly.

"Well, let's say that if you ever decide to become a limiter, your Pandora will be a very happy girl." Urahara replied cryptically, confusing the teenager.

"Whatever." Ichigo snorted as he gave up. He summed that response as him having a good compatibility.

Letting a few more giggles escape him, Kisuke addressed him. "Alright, we're done here. Tomorrow we'll leave for West Genetics and I'll leave you the rest of today to relax, eat or do anything you want."

Happy with that response, Ichigo quickly went to the exit and set on his search to find what he needed the most at the moment, a shower.

**xxx **

The next day, Ichigo was given a bag with clothes and whatever else he needed to West Genetics by Kisuke. He was glad to discover that the clothes Kisuke put were to his taste, it looked like a modernized version of his old style and he could say that he quite liked their appearance. Among the other things in the bag, there was his new uniform and a new type of phone that supposedly was the latest model. He'd have to read the instruction once he'd settle at West Genetics.

After eating a breakfast, the substitute followed the shopkeeper to his 'garage' as he put it. It was actually an underground hangar under the mansion that housed various cars, tanks, helicopters and planes. Ichigo almost fell when he saw the fine selections of machines in front of him.

"Urahara-san, how the hell did you get all these when all you did was own a second rate candy shop?" He had to ask, maybe the Nova that attacked so far brainwashed people into buying candy or something.

"You'll find out that I'm a pretty good trader Kurosaki-san." Urahara boasted confidently, his ego growing slightly at the chance to show off his collection. He then pointed at a large helicopter with two large blades and a small one of stability. "Take that one for example, that's a Hawk Crossfighter V5. I bought it from a friend for a really good deal, it's quite the beauty, wouldn't you say?"

The substitute on the other hand gave him the most shocked face Kisuke had ever seen. "_You_ have friends?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

At that response, Kisuke had a crestfallen expression. His hat fell off despite being no wind inside the hangar. After the shock, he picked it and put it on his head again. "Right, let's go." He commented with a dead voice.

They embarked quickly and took off. It was fairly silent after Ichigo gave off that comment, in fact Ichigo believed that Kisuke was sulking in the pilot's seat. The substitute did consider apologizing but he'd rather have some peace and quiet for a change so he settled and enjoyed the ride.

After 2 hour they arrived at the school. As Kisuke landed the plane, Ichigo went to the ramp and opened it. Shielding his face from the strong winds, he managed to see for the first time the place he was going to spend his next few months. The word 'big' was simply not enough for such a large complex, the academy was massive, if you counted the campus it was easily over 10 times bigger that his old school.

Feeling Kisuke step next to him, he looked down and saw that they had an escort waiting. A young woman, probably in her early twenties with short dark brown hair that extended towards her neck, wearing a uniform consisting of a pale blue, long-sleeved shirt with a navy blue tie and matching skirt, accompanied with long brown stockings and a pair of black, high-heeled shoes. Ichigo reasoned that she probably was a teacher or something and much to his embarrassment, he also noticed that she was rather gifted in the chest area.

"Greetings and welcome to West Genetics. I am instructor Yu-mi Kin." She stood straight and raised her hand in a military salute, her strong voice heard clearly in the wind. "It's an honor to have you visit our facility Dr. Urahara. I wish you a pleasant time during your visit."

Smiling at the woman, Urahara answered."Thank you, I'll be sure to have a good time."

"Sister Margaret is expecting you. I've been ordered to escort you to her office. Please follow me and try not to get lost." She said the last part looking at Ichigo.

Getting the hint, the orange haired boy took his duffle bag and went after the buxom instructor and the sandal wearing, green garbed moron who didn't even bother to dress for the occasion or at least to tell him to dress up. Going through the large facility, Ichigo was glad that he sticked close to the older Shinigami and didn't let his eyes wander. This place was like a maze, he'd have to search for a map or else he'd get lost in no time.

20 minutes into their walk they entered a large building that looked like a main hall. Inside they were lead to a big pair of doors. The instructor halted and informed them that the headmistress was waiting for them behind these doors. Excusing herself, she began walking to her class.

That left only the two males in front of the large doors.

With this morning's events forgotten, Kisuke smiled as he turned to look at Ichigo, a certain glint in his eyes that made Ichigo uneasy. "Are you ready Kurosaki-san? Once we're inside there's no turning back, you'll just have to go with everything that's being thrown at you."

"Just get on with it." Ichigo replied with an impatient voice, not impressed with whatever thread Kisuke was cooking up.

The older Shinigami only released a breath. "Just behave while you're inside, you don't want to make a bad impression on your first day here." And with that, Kisuke raised his hand to knock.

Moments later, the answer came.

**xxx**

AN: Done with another chapter. I'm quite impressed at how fast I updated, but given that I'm in a 'competition' with Nova Rising, I can't fall behind. Haha. I also noticed that it's a lot easier to write when you are motivated.

Hope you guys enjoyed the Bleach and Freezing parts. I'm going to ask again but did everyone seem in character? I really want to get as close as possible to canon, that way the characters will feel more real. And if there's anything else that felt off, don't hesitate to inform me.

Also, it seems that that a few of you are interest in the Riruka blackmail. Don't worry, I'll reveal that later, I promise.

Thank you all once again for the support. The next chapter, I don't know when it will be out but I hope it's before June.

Don't forget to review, follow or favorite if you like the story.

Bye bye.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hello everyone, I want to thank you again for the support. I've never had a story with this many reviews, favorites and follows. I makes me happy to see that you guys are enjoying the story.

Without anymore delay, the chapter. Enjoy.

**Chapter 2 - Seed of Promise**

**xxx**

Sister Margaret, the current Headmistress of West Genetics. She is a woman in her late forties with long black hair tied in a single braid that falls on her left shoulder. All of which is hidden by her wardrobe, a white religious attire, slightly reminiscent of the one nuns wear, as well as a habit that frames her face, allowing only a few bangs of her ebony hair to take in the sunlight permeating through her office window.

Sitting at her wooden desk, the principal of the Chevalier facility appears to have quite a frail form, the passage of time fully affecting the once beautiful woman. However, despite her lanky figure and softly wrinkled face, her obsidian eyes carry the same gleam they did during her prime, during her time as an active Pandora serving Chevalier. Yes, the calm and soft spoken woman battled Novas in the past, her vast prowess allowing her to emerge victorious over the extraterrestrial entities. After her retirement from the system, she chose to share some of her experience with the newer Pandora generations to further improve their effectiveness at taking down Novas. It was because of her devotion that she was assigned as head of a Genetics school.

As she organized her documents, the woman couldn't help but worry about the increase in the Nova Clashes. It was obvious to anyone who bothered to check that the interval in between these attacks was waning, the latest Clash being irrefutable proof of that. Now adding the continuous decrease in number of women that are stigmata compatible, the future of humanity seemed to be heading on a bleak path. For now they would manage, she rationalized, but they were in desperate need for new ways to strengthen Pandoras or new methods to fight against the Novas.

Catching sight of an odd document in her large stash, she slowly plucked it from under the mountain of files and carefully opened it, her eyes dancing on the content. It was the letter she received from the well known Dr. Urahara Kisuke, quite a bizarre man in her opinion, but a brilliant scientist nonetheless. While it was true that Aoi Gengo invented the Pandora system and was recognized as head scientist at Chevalier regarding stigmata development, Urahara Kisuke brought valuable improvements to the design and overall structure of the stigmata tissue, all of which created the final product used today by the current Pandoras.

While recognizing his brilliant intellect, she couldn't help but wonder about the mysterious scientist. He made so few public appearances, his name wasn't well known among the civilians and thus only those affiliated with Chevalier and Genetics knew of him. She did have the pleasure of meeting him at Chevalier gathering a few years ago, right before the 8th Nova Clash if she remembered correctly. It came as a shock to her when he had told her that he owned a candy shop in Karakura town, never in a thousand years would she have guessed that such a renowned person had such a mundane occupation. His laid back and detached personality was also a refreshing and welcomed aspect of his character, in some ways he resembled Aoi Gengo's own personality.

In their brief talk she got a glimpse of the blond scientist's view regarding the 'Nova Rising' threat. The way he spoke betrayed little concern, he was quite optimistic in their future as well as the survival of the human race. When asked about this all he would do is chuckle and state that the 'Gods' were on their side. Puzzled by his bizarre response, she dropped the matter and settled on discussing his latest theories and research.

Closing her eyes, she allowed the events from that day fade in the depth of her mind as she concentrated on the documents in her hand. A letter from the doctor himself as well as a registration paper for a Limiter with a few personal details of the teenager. Initially, she was surprised by his request, for various reasons. The first being that not a few weeks ago, Aoi Gengo also enrolled his grandson, Aoi Kazuya, into Genetics. She vaguely wondered if there was some connection between the similarity of their actions. As for the second reason, she had no idea that Dr. Urahara had any relatives, let alone someone fit to become a Limiter.

As sister Margaret pondered, a knocking sound was heard from the door. "_So they're here already."_ She thought to herself as she quickly tidied her desk, leaving only the documents of interest in her view. Then, in the same cordial voice that she always speaks with, she called for her guests. "Please enter."

No sooner than the words left her mouth, the door swung open and the blond scientist entered the large and classically decorated room. As she took notice of the man's attire, sister Margaret couldn't help but smile briefly as she internally shock her head. She had forgotten about this certain trait, Urahara Kisuke was probably the only person who would dare show up at a meeting wearing everyday clothes. Though she had to admit, the man's preferred choice in clothing was interesting to say the least, with the green shirt, green pants and a large dark coat with white diamonds patter on the bottom half. His accessories in special amused her, a striped white and green hat that covered his face, allowing a few bangs of his golden locks as well as the tiniest glow of his eyes to show, a cane made out of wood and a small fan colored similarly with his hat.

Her eyes then shifted to the doctor's sidekick, a teenage boy about as tall as the scientist himself. The first thing that she took notice was the boy's bright orange colored hair. It stood out like a fire in the middle of the forest, only after taking in this abnormality first was she able to see the rest of the teenager. After she examined him for a couple of seconds, she could easily say that he fitted the criteria for 'delinquent' and with his unruly and spiked hair, defiant posture and scrutinizing gaze, it was a legitimate conclusion. But her experience taught her more than the ways of combat and she was not one to judge a person by their appearance but by their words and actions.

"Good afternoon sister Margaret." The older man greeted graciously, his lips lifted upwards in an amiable smile, his body bowing slightly in a swift greeting. The boy merely followed his example and exchanged a greeting of his own. "It's been quite some time since we've had the pleasure of speaking like this." Kisuke added afterwards, fixing his had slightly.

The woman could only agree with him. "Yes, I believe our last meeting was right before the 8th Nova Clash. Still, it brings me joy to be able to speak with a man such as yourself."

Kisuke only chuckled good naturedly. "Please ma'am, the pleasure is all mine. I'd gladly take a chance and talk with a woman as lovely as yourself, but unfortunately I get caught up in my work and tend to forget about the world around."

Nodding in recognition, sister Margaret answered. "Completely understandable, considering our current situation, we need all the work we can get. These days I too get caught up with my work, not to mention the latest incident concerning the 10th Nova Clash, these last few days were hysterical. My hope is for things to calm enough so that we can properly assess the situation. Furthermore, there is the with the new forms the Novas have shown." The woman then proceeded to talk about some of the details of the latest Nova Clash with Kisuke paying close attention.

As the two discussed something that Ichigo lost all understanding in the middle of the sentence, he curiously eyed the...principal he guessed. Though what kind of principal dresses like a nun for a church? When he first entered the room, upon seeing her for the first time, he was hit with a sense of ease and tranquility and that feeling didn't fade even now. The woman in front radiated kindness in a similar way to the 4th Division's Captain, Unohana Retsu.

"Now back to the matter at hand." Ichigo heard the woman speak as he gave her his full attention. "You must be the one Dr. Urahara mention in his letter. I'm sorry, I have yet to memorize your name."

Taking that as his cue, the substitute-soon to be student answered. "Yes ma'am, Kurosaki Ichigo." He spoke clearly, his voice harboring no malice, only sincerity and honesty, though his expression still bared the slight scowl.

Kisuke slowly placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder as he spoke. "I know such a sudden request must've come as a surprise, but I believe that Genetics will benefit greatly by having Ichigo as a student here. I personally have high hopes in him that he will be a huge help in the future." At that comment, the orange haired boy resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the act the shopkeeper was pulling. Is this how he got that mansion of a home back in Karakura?

Sister Margaret only flipped through the documents as she listened. "I have read his papers and have no objection to his enrollment in Genetics, though I find it odd that you decided to bring him now. According to your file, he had never been enrolled in any Genetics facility yet you want me to enlist him as a 3rd year student. You understand my reluctance for doing such a thing, considering his lack of experience."

"Yes, about that." The shopkeeper then searched in his outfit and pulled out a file. "This here are the results of the 'LIM' test I had Ichigo run recently. I trust you'll find the results to be quite intriguing." Urahara spoke, his smile growing wider as hid hat shadowed one of his eyes. For his part, Ichigo suspected that the shopkeeper gave her the results of that test he took yesterday after the candy incident, maybe this time he'd find out a bit more about what it meant for him. He didn't.

Shifting her posture slightly, the ex-Pandora took the piece of paper and regarded its contents apprehensively. Moments later, Ichigo saw her eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly, though not enough to give her an uncouth appearance. "This is..." She trailed off as she stared at the numbers printed on the paper.

Urahara only rested on his cane as he chuckled slightly, understanding the reaction perfectly. "Yes, I thought the same thing as well. So, interested in him?" He let a joke roll off his tongue despite already knowing the answer that will come.

The woman only nodded. "With such potential it would be a big mistake as headmistress not to accept him. I have most of the documents I need for his enrollment, I just need this registration paper to be signed by his parents or legal guardian." She informed them as she brought up a paper from her desk.

Ichigo was about to say that it couldn't be done, but Kisuke beat him to the punch and answered instead. "I'll sign them right away. As Ichigo's loving, considerate and generous uncle, I will do everything I can to make sure that my dear nephew gets the education he needs." The boldness and passion of such declaration, coupled with the superb performance the shopkeeper demonstrated earned mixed reactions from the occupants of the room.

Sister Margaret was awed by the affection the doctor expressed for his kin. It brought a warm smile to her face seeing how the usually reclusive man valued his family so much.

Ichigo on the other hand almost fell off his feet, his eyes widened like dinner plates, a bit more and the risk of his eyes falling out of his sockets would have been imminent. With horror taking possession of his face, he looked at the shopkeeper, silently praying to every God he had ever heard of that it was a sick joke. Seeing the amused glint in Urahara's eyes and remembering the small warning before entering the office, Ichigo noted with terror that the older Shinigami was very serious. Urahara his uncle? He'd rather be Grimmjow's brother than have anything to do with the ridiculous man next to him.

Opening his mouth to deny this crazy affirmation, the substitute was cut off by Urahara's hand covering his mouth as he was pulled in a headlock by the shopkeeper. Muffled sounds were hear as Ichigo struggled to free himself from the strong grip, arms flailing wildly in the air, hoping that he could hit the shopkeeper at least once.

"Is there anything else you need sister Margaret?" The blond haired man asked, unfazed that he was pretty much chocking the younger boy.

The Headmistress watched the pair with confusion, her eyebrows raised slightly as she didn't know what to make of the scene. Rather than being shocked, she remained neutral. As noted before, Urahara Kisuke was a strange person, what's not to say the rest of his family was the same? She merely reasoned that this was the way their family bonded. A peculiar, if slightly disturbing way to bond, but she was no stranger to odd behaviors and who was she to judge them?

"Aside from the papers, I only wish to ask your nephew a couple of questions, if that's alright with him." She informed the older man, looking intently at the pair as if telling them to stop fooling around. The scientist smiled briefly in her direction before he quietly complied with the request and released the substitute.

Feeling the shopkeepers grip loosen up, Ichigo managed to free himself, prying the arms of his neck as he jumped a few feet away. Taking in a few breaths to replenish his loss of air, he turned at Kisuke and gave him a hard glare that promised pain for the stunt the shopkeeper just pulled. Predictably, he only got a smile in return which did nothing to lessen his bad mood. Composing himself, Ichigo turned around and addressed the principal.

"Yeah, sure. I don't mind answering some questions." His voice got calmer as he spoke, though his scowl remained firmly in place.

Nodding, sister Margaret gave the papers to Kisuke to sign before she joined her hands and rested them on the desk. "Very well. It's nothing too private, I just wish to know your feelings about joining West Genetics. What made you decide to join West Genetics as a Limiter?" Eyeing him with interest, sister Margaret waited patiently for the boy to respond.

"Eh!?" Ichigo exclaimed slightly, not expecting this kind of question right off the bat. His eyes shifted in the direction of the shopkeeper, hoping that he could at least help him out a bit. Sadly however, Kisuke was too busy signing the papers, but Ichigo caught the slightest flicker of a smile threatening to posses Urahara's lips. That made the boy frustrated, the shopkeeper knew that he was in an uncomfortable position and was having a laugh at him now.

Slowly cursing him in his mind, Ichigo focused on the woman and answered. "Well, Urahara-san said it would be good for me to attend. He said that it'll be good for me learn more about the Novas and that my abilities would be able help humanity in this fight." The substitute hoped that his response was good enough, he figured he'd rather not reveal anything about him being able to use his Shinigami powers, Pandoras were after all still human so they wouldn't be able to understand what he was even doing or how. He'd have to ask Kisuke later about that.

Sister Margaret only nodded. "It is true that according to the test results provided by Dr. Urahara, you have the potential to become a great Limiter." Closing her eyes slightly, she took on a more serious demeanor as her voice also took a commanding note, fitting for an ex-Pandora who leaded a platoon against the Novas. "However, the fact remains that if I were to enroll you as a 3rd year student, you wouldn't be able to receive the training Limiters received during the first two years. And considering that you've never attended any Genetics before, you'll have a hard time catching up. Do you think you are capable of doing this?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Both Ichigo and sister Margaret were caught off guard by the shopkeeper's voice and turned to look in his direction. It seemed that he was finished with the papers and was now looking in the headmistress's direction. "You see, Ichigo here is fortunate enough to be a really fast learner. He can pick up skills faster than anyone I know, I'm sure that he'll have no problem going through the Limiter training. From my knowledge it's nowhere near as extensive as the ones Pandoras have do."

While she didn't doubt the doctor's words, she still had doubts about the boy's talents being that impressive. "Forgive my skepticism Dr. Urahara, but I still don't believe he'd be able to handle it as easy as you say."

"Then how about we have a small bet on that?" This sudden proposal caught everyone's attention.

Frowning at the idea, sister Margaret glared slightly at the scientist. "A bet? I'll have you know that I do not relish myself in such appalling games and I have no intention of changing that fact now." As figurehead of the entire West Genetics facility she could not approve of such infantile ideas.

Ichigo could only agree with the headmistress, but he knew that the shopkeeper wasn't done yet. He probably had decades of training in the art of annoying people and given his intellect, the ability to toy with them was not out of his reach as well.

Pulling his fan out of nowhere, Urahara started waving it in a peaceful gesture. "Don't be like that, it's nothing serious really. If you want we won't even call it a bet but let me say this. The average time for a Pandora and her Limiter to be able to utilize the Ereinbar Set in battle efficiently is two to three month, correct?"

Confused, but somewhat interested in what the doctor was planning, sister Margaret answered. "Yes, the amount of time needed for most Pandoras and Limiters to fully utilize the Erenbar Set is three months as you say. Though I don't understand why this is relevant in any way." She searched the shopkeeper's eyes for a hint that would give a hint to his motives, but all she found was the faint glimmer of his steel gray eyes.

Meanwhile, in the forgotten part of the room, Ichigo was once again lost to the discussion the other two started. _"Ereinbar what now?"_ Having no idea on the subject they were discussing, he settled in for waiting, much to his annoyance. When were they going to finish this? He would really need to find out what this whole Limiter thing was all about, Kisuke's explanation was woefully lacking in details as it was becoming apparent.

Smile widening, Kisuke spoke again. "What if I were to tell you that Ichigo could probably do it in a week? No, in three days even." Holding an air of mystery, the shopkeeper's words were as hard as a hammer to the ears of the headmistress as her eyes widened.

"Impossible." Her fain voice was barely heard by the male occupants of the room, though her surprise and disbelief was evident. "Are you telling me he can reach the full potential of a Limiter in less than a week?" To sister Margaret such a notion was absurd, never in her life has she heard something as bewildering as this, not even from the top Limiters from Chevalier.

Hiding a bemused laugh behind his fan, Urahara eyed the woman intently. "Perhaps, I can't tell for sure since without a stigmata from a Pandora there is no way of doing the process. But I did help Ichigo with some personal training and self defense measures. The speed at which he was learning every skill, technique or move was astounding. I have no doubt that Ichigo will be able to successfully manage the training."

On the side, Ichigo was starting to get the feeling that the older Shinigami was using him to show off or something.

Sister Margaret remained silent, closing her eyes as she took in what the doctor said. The atmosphere in the room got heavier as the stagnant silence was shattered by her voice. "Urahara Kisuke, I am aware of your status at Chevalier, but I pray that you haven't done anything that would affect your nephew in any way. Aoi Gengo has already ruined his granddaughter, I hope that there won't be another event like the one four years ago." It was subtle, but her words carried a slight thread that both of the males were able to pick up due to their battle experience.

Kisuke's fat shut violently, the sound it resonating in the entire room. Gone was his smile and his comical poise, the shadow under his hat became even darker as his eyes vanished in the depth of its darkness. His eyes opened immediately afterwards, the air around him shifted slightly as if to mirror their color, a metallic gray, harder than any steel. His expression reminded Ichigo of that time after he defeated Aizen, serious yet with a faint pensiveness to it.

Resting both hands on the wooden cane, the shopkeeper spoke again. "I'm saddened that you could even think of that sister Margaret. While I admit that I did guide Ichigo on this path, everything he accomplished was done with his own power, with his own sweat and blood. And don't speak so lightly of things you have no knowledge of, especially of information regarding Aoi Gengo's actions and the motifs behind them." The scientist finished his small rant as he locked eyes with the woman.

Moments later, the tension vanished as he released a breath. "Our small chatter sure has gone haywire, hasn't it?" Twisting his lips upwards, Kisuke's posture relaxed as his voice gained it's amused edge back. Even his eyes lost all their seriousness, he was back to his original goofy persona.

Reflecting his actions, sister Margaret likewise softened her expression. "Yes, I apologize if I have insulted you in any way. It was not my intention to bring up this subject, I just wish for nothing bad to happen anymore." A part of her was curious about his words, the way Urahara Kisuke spoke was as if he knew of Aoi Gengo's plans and work. But she had no right to pry it out of the blond scientist, if anything, she should question Aoi Gengo in person, but that was a matter for another time.

"It's fine, now about Ichigo. Do you have any more questions?" He waved his fan to settle this matter and appropriately display his thoughts, that he wasn't bothered by their small altercation.

"Only one if it's no trouble." She turned to look at the fire headed teenager who remained silent during their small dispute. He didn't look phased at all, his expression remaining firm and neutral. "What do you think of the fight between humanity and the Novas? Do you believe in our victory over the invaders?" As the words exited her lips she brought her hand together and awaited his response.

Urahara too was looking in anticipation, slightly curious at the answer the substitute will give.

Sensing the eagerness in the room made Ichigo hesitate a bit. "I don't know much about Novas other than what Urahara-san told me and some basic information. I haven't seen one in person and I don't know how strong it is, all I heard was that Pandoras are having a harder time than any against them." At that moment his expression turned serious as he confidently looked at the headmistress, eyes burning with determination. "But I don't care about that. As long as I can stand up and fight, I will protect my comrades with my life. If that means standing up to enemies from another dimension then so be it, I won't back down. I will win, no matter what."

Sister Margaret blinked as she absorbed the small speech, for a second she thought she had seen his eyes flicker to a light shade of blue, though she dismissed at as a light trick when she checked again more carefully and saw that they were the same shade of brown as they were a minute ago. His words though were surprising, they carried a resolve that the ex-Pandora has rarely seen even during her days as an active soldier for Chevalier. That level of intensity was something else, it was almost if his words were a sword strong enough to pierce even the Heavens themselves.

Next to the teenager, Urahara couldn't help but smile proudly at those words. He had almost forgotten about it, but the substitute's resolve was as inspiring and powerful as ever, it was almost as if his words were palpable. He was sure now, Ichigo would be able to change this forbidding position they found themselves in, he had all the necessary qualities for it and he would help him, that was a given.

"I see, so that's your conviction." the ex-Pandora spoke softly, leaning slightly in the back of her seat, a smile painting itself on her expression. Looking at the teenager she couldn't help but express it, such an interesting boy he was. "Thank you Kurosaki-san, that's all I wanted to ask." Said boy only nodded.

"No problem." Ichigo answered swiftly, glad that they were done with the questioning. If he was honest with himself, he was quite pleased with that last answer he gave. It wasn't a lie, he didn't know what Novas were but regardless of his enemies, Aizen, Espadas, Novas, he was dammed if he wouldn't do everything in his powers to defeat them and protect his friends and family.

"This will be all Dr. Urahara." Addressing the shopkeeper, sister Margaret gathered all the documents and placed them in the folder. "I have enrolled your nephew. Is there anything else you wish to know or something else I can do for you?"

"Just if the arrangements I requested were done. Oh, and a class schedule for Ichigo, he'll probably need it." Urahara answered. Ichigo mentally agreed with him, much to his irritation.

Nodding in his direction, sister Margaret opened the drawer at her desk and took out a pair of keys from it. She slowly placed them on her desk. "These are the keys for the room you wanted, Room 15 on the first floor of the 3rd Year Boys Dorm. As for Kurosaki-san's class schedule, I'll arrange for his teacher to have it prepared for him, just show up at class 103 at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning for your first period. Your homeroom teacher is instructor Yu-mi Kim, she's the Pandora who escorted you here." She informed the orange haired boy.

"If that is all then please allow me to be the first to welcome you to West Genetics Kurosaki-san. I hope you'll have a pleasant stay and I expect to see great things from you." Offering him a warm smile, the small welcome made Ichigo a bit nervous.

"Uh, thank you ma'am." The substitute answered averting his gaze slightly while scratching his right cheek in an effort to mask his discomfort.

"Shall I arrange for an escort or will you be able to get to the Dorms Dr. Urahara?" The woman asked while looking at the scientist, expecting him to at least settle his nephew in the room.

Waving his hand dismissively, Urahara answered. "I think I can get us there without much trouble and if not, then I'm sure one of the Pandoras or Limiters will be kind enough point us out in the right direction." Smiling from under his fan, Urahara gave her a knowing smile.

"Very well then, I'll leave you to guide your nephew. I assume you'll be leaving today as well, right?" Receiving a nod from the shopkeeper, she continued. "In that case, please come see me again before you depart, I wish to talk a bit more with you." She informed him calmly, a pleasant smile gracing her features.

"Of course, I will be there shortly." With this small goodbye, the shopkeeper headed for the exit. Ichigo offered his own parting words with a small bow, before he grabbed his bag from the floor and hurried after the shopkeeper, closing the large wooden doors behind him.

Releasing a breath, the mid aged woman leaned back in her chair as she closed her eyes and started breathing deeply, relaxing her entire frame and mind. _"Aoi Gengo, Urahara Kisuke, both of them are important scientists and both of them have enrolled their nephews into West Genetics."_ Was this something planed, part of a bigger scheme or was it really a coincidence. As much as she trusted Dr. Urahara, the fact that he resembled Aoi Gengo in some ways didn't put her at ease. His nephew on the other hand was quite interesting, she wondered whether he knew of some plans regarding the doctor, but his honesty was genuine, she had rarely seen someone so determined. Opening her eyes, she gazed through the window of her office, taking in the small but excellent view she had on the academy. She should waste to much time on such thoughts, she had responsibilities but she would be lying to herself if she said that he didn't intrigue her. Keeping a close eye on him, she might just do that.

**xxx**

Exiting the main room of the headmistress, Kisuke turned towards the substitute, smile present on his lips, as he waited for him to catch up. "I'd say that went quite well, don't you think so too Kurosaki-sa..." He didn't get to finish his sentence as Ichigo's elbow viciously slammed into his mid section, leaving him out of breath. Dropping his cane, his knees wilted as he found himself on the ground.

"What, no more 'dear nephew' or 'Ichigo'? You're back to Kurosaki-san again?" Ichigo replied irritably as he watched the shopkeeper whimper on the floor. _"Tch, serves him right."_ This was his payback for the stunt the older Shinigami pulled in the office.

Recovering slightly, Urahara managed to get on his feet with the support of his cane as he laughed pathetically and rubbed his hat. "Ah that. It was necessary Kurosaki-san, in order to avoid problems for you, I had to make you my nephew. It would be suspicious if someone as 'talented' as you came out of nowhere. Being a well known scientist gives me a few advantages, advantages I can use in your case." Getting up as if he didn't just suffer a crippling hit, Urahara fixed his hat and smiled joyously. "But more about that when we get to your room. And if you want, I can call you Ichigo as well. Don't tell me you liked it so much you now want me to always call you that way? Kurosaki-san, if all you wanted was some affection from me all you had to do was ask. I would have been delighted to supply it." Smiling widely, Urahara looked as if he was about to hug the substitute.

Eyebrow twitching, Ichigo released a tired breath. "Never mind." He grumbled lowly as he made his way towards the Dorms, too exhausted to deal with the shopkeeper's eccentric personality.

"You're going the wrong way Kurosaki-san, the Dorms are on the other side." Hearing the amused tone in his voice, the orange haired teenager stopped and turned around, glaring menacingly at the scientist who only grinned in return.

Taking the lead, Urahara started walking towards the campus, Ichigo following a few steps behind, not wanting to be associated with him.

**xxx**

Lunch break, one of those times when students usually get food, gather at a table with their friends and start chatting about the latest gossips. Of course, Aoi Kazuya wasn't necessarily that type of person, but the same cannot be said about his 1st Year classmates, Hiiragi Kaho and Arthur Crypton. Those two liked to talk about anything and would often ask the dark haired Limiter about his opinion.

"And I swear that Cherry from 2nd Year is a masochist. I heard some Pandoras saying that they saw her Limiter carrying a whip and some handcuffs with him when he visited her at the Girls Dorm a few days ago." She informed them as she sipped on her drink, something apple flavored if Kazuya remembered correctly.

"Really? I suspected as much. When I asked Jim, her Limiter, he would get quiet and say that he had to leave. So Cherry-senpai is really into that, that's too bad, you'd think that with her calm and intellectual appearance she would be more dignified. My Ganessa-senpai would not stop so low, she's much too graceful for that." Comparing everyone to his Pandora partner, one of Arthur's hobbies Kazuya figured. Though if he took his words for granted then no other Pandora can compare to Ganessa Roland, Arthur was pretty much treating her like a goddess.

"There you go again, it always comes down to Ganessa-senpai with you doesn't it?" Hiiragi deadpanned, rolling her eyes at the blond Limiter.

"Hey! Ganessa-senpai is best Pandora, as her Limiter I have to make sure I appreciate her and treat her right." Arthur defended boldly, having no shame in proclaiming his admiration for his partner in the middle of the cafeteria. Kazuya had to admit though, he admired the other Limiter for his courage when it came to expressing feelings.

"Speaking of best Pandoras. Aoi-kun how are things between you and the Untouchable Queen?" Her hidden jab was missed on the blond Limiter who also became interested in the topic. Now both of them had their attention concentrated on the Aoi family's youngest member. "I heard that she invited you to some resort her family owned." Hiiragi pressed on hoping to get some dirt out of him.

"Yeah." Kazuya answered hesitantly. "Her family owns a resort in Bali and we spent a week there."

"So that means that you're finally partners?" Arthur questioned taking another two fries in his mouth. "Spending a week at an exotic island with everything paid, must've been nice. How I wish that me and Ganessa-senpai to do something like that, walking hand in hand on the soft sand, watching the sunset and kissing under the stars. What an experience." The Dutch Limiter carried on with his fantasy, unaware that he was lost to the other occupants.

Releasing a tired breath, Hiiragi ignored the dreaming blond and shifted her gaze to Kazuya. "So as he was saying, are you and that Untouchable Queen official yet?" She asked, her question not going by the boy.

"We are partners, but ugh, we haven't done the Baptism yet." He answered nervously, averting his gaze slightly.

"Eh!? You haven't done it yet?" Hiiragi exclaimed looking surprised and incredulous at the same time. It also seemed that the scream caught Arthur's attention as well.

"No, not yet." Was Kazuya's meek reply.

Nodding sagely, Arthur placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "See, what did we tell you all this time. She doesn't have any intention of forming an official bond with you, in other words you're being used by her. You should tell her what you want and if she refuses you should ditch her and find yourself another Pandora." So it was this issue again, this always happened when Kazuya brought up Satellizer to his friends.

"It's not like that!" He denied loudly. "Satella-senpai, she's important to me, I wouldn't want anyone else as my partner. So I'll wait for her, I'll wait for Satella-senpai to tell me that she's ready. I'll be her one and only Limiter!" Slightly embarrassed that he just admitted his feelings in front of his friends, he was hesitant to look them in the eyes and waited for them to disagree with him like always, tell him that he was delusional and that he was blinded by the beauty of the blonde Pandora.

Only that it never came. The criticizing the black haired Limiter expected didn't come. Confused, he turned to look at the occupants of the room and found them looking intently in front, apprehension evident in their startled expressions. Blinking, he did a 180 with head to see what made those two so uncomfortable. As soon as he found the source he felt his blood stop flowing, it was none other than the object of his adoration, the 'Untouchable Queen' herself, his blonde haired Pandora partner, Satellizer el Bridget.

Panic shrouded his entire being as a million questions started racing in his head. _"Why is she here? When did she get here? Did she hear anything? How much did she hear? What does she think of all of this? Did she like it? Did she hate it? Will she get mad at me? Will she keep talking to me?"_ And these were only a few of the queries that circled through his mind. It was then when he noticed the rosiness on her cheeks, her frozen posture and the awe in her cerulean orbs. His sanguine system restarted again, granting him the same coloring on his pale skin as he realized they had been staring at one another for quite a while.

"G-good afternoon Satella-senpai. Can I help you with something?" Being the polite boy he was, he promptly expressed his desire to help the British Pandora.

Recovering slightly, the 2nd Year Pandora lowered her gaze to the floor as her lips twisted to give a reply. "G-good afternoon Kazuya. W-would you l-like to eat together?" Extremely nervous by the whole action and considering that Kazuya's friends were there as well, Satellizer was having a hard time keeping her demeanor, her only way of relaxing being her hands playing with her long skirt in an effort to distract herself.

Kazuya smiled at the proposal, despite his blush. Quickly gathering his tray, he bid his goodbyes to his classmates, who returned them awkwardly, and jogged towards his partner before leaving together to another table.

"What was that about?" Arthur questioned unwittingly, his eyes trailing the departing pair.

Still shocked, but to a lesser degree than the boy, Hiiragi carefully though about her response. "She came and asked him to join her for lunch." She spoke slowly, ignoring the small 'Oh' that came from the boy. Seeing as she wasn't going to get much info by staring, she returned to her burger. _"Untouchable Queen, that's the first time I ever saw her look so...defenseless. I wonder what happened between her and Aoi-kun?"_

**xxx**

After leaving the table, Kazuya accompanied the buxom Pandora to a random table. Slowly touching his cheek, he notice how hot it was. _"So this is how my skin feels when I blush..."_ He had to admit to himself, having such a realization was very unusual on his part, but his senpai brought all kinds of new reactions so he guessed that things like this will become the norm for him.

Speaking of things his senpai did, that football game the 3rd Year students organized, it turned out worse than he expected. It was safe to say that there wouldn't be another match for a long time. Thinking about it now he couldn't help but picture the British Pandora in the middle of the field, her clothes torn to pieces as she tried to cover her modesty. Shaking his head he mentally berated himself, here he was again having dirty thoughts about his senpai.

A few feet in front of him, Satellizer was trying to come to terms to what she just heard not five minutes ago. Did Kazuya really care for her that much? Actually, that was a stupid question she realized. It was obvious how he felt for her, she realized it a couple of days ago herself, but hearing him talk that way and declare that he is her 'one and only Limiter', she couldn't help but feel bashful about this.

Since they almost reached the table, she lifted her head to locate the exact one. Once she found it, she stopped dead in her tracks as she slowly eyed the location. The coloring drained from her face, every semblance of her previous nervousness gone as her fists clenched, her eyebrows furrowing in irritation. There, in front of her, at her table was the Tibetan Pandora who was feasting on her food, again. If she were to catch sight of them then she would most likely try and take Kazuya away from her, again. She wondered if they could get away somehow without alerting her. No such luck though.

"Rana?" The surprised voice of her Limiter made all that impossible as she watched with annoyance how the other Pandora lifted her face from the mountain of food and started waving wildly in their direction.

"Yahoo, Kazuya-kun, Satellizer-san, right here." Unable to retread, Satellizer complied begrudgingly and went to the table, the boy merely following her. "Can you believe it, I found this table full of food and no one sitting in it. Why would someone abandon such pleasantries is beyond me." Given her joy, she completely missed Satellizer's muttering on how it was all her food and how she paid for it.

"Hello Rana, how are you?" Kazuya asked politely, smiling slightly in her direction.

"I'm doing wonderful now that you're here Kazuya-kun." And with that the purple haired Pandora latched to his arm and started hugging him.

Of course, this affectionate gesture was not taken well by the blonde Pandora as she quickly conveyed her discomfort. "Why are you here? In case you haven't seen, I wish to eat with Kazuya, alone." Her words were ice cold as she empathized on the word 'alone'.

"Oh? Satellizer-san, are you perhaps jealous?" Rana asked making sure to push the boy's arm deeper into her blessed chest, a confident smirk playing on her lips as she regarded the other Pandora with interest.

"D-don't make fun of me, I'll beat you to a pulp!" The blonde haired Pandora threatened.

Sensing the mood changing for the worst, Kazuya needed to change subjects quickly and hopefully distract the Pandora's attention. "Uhh, aren't we here to eat?" With that he quickly untangled himself from the Tibetan Pandora's grip, took a sit at the table and resumed his eating. Seeing his actions, the girls mimicked him and took a seat of their own before beginning their own meal.

"So, anything new happen? Any new rumors or something?" Kazuya asked nervously. Gossiping was not his thing, but at this point he'd do anything to stop the Pandoras from arguing.

"Oh about that, I remembered that I wanted to tell you something."Rana exclaimed. "I heard that a new student transferred in the 3rd Year and that he's someone important, related to a doctor or something. Someone saw instructor Yu-mi Kim escorting them to sister Margaret's office."

"A new transfer student?" Kazuya questioned. How weird, it was pretty late in the year for someone to transfer, then again he transferred pretty late as well so who's he to say that it's unusual.

"Is it a Pandora or a Limiter?" Satellizer asked her own question, momentarily forgetting about her anger, curiosity winning her over.

"I don't know, but I guess we'll find out tomorrow. " Rana concluded.

"I guess." Kazuya trailed off, taking a sip from his juice. A new Pandora or Limiter, that may be a good thing, after the latest Nova Clash their forces were low on number so they needed any help they could get. But a 3rd Year transfer would have it pretty hard, regardless of gender, finding a partner would be pretty difficult. Though perhaps for a Pandora it would be easier considering they usually took Limiters younger than themselves. For a 3rd Year Limiter, well, there were some rare cases of Limiters having better compatibility with younger Pandoras so maybe he was that type of guy.

As the boy lost himself to his musings, he didn't notice that Satellizer and Rana started arguing again. This time it was because of Rana's comment that if the new transfer student turned out to be a Limiter, the British Pandora should go after him and leave Kazuya alone. Needless to say, her temper nearly exploded at that suggestion.

Unknown to them, a few tables away a group of people happened to overhear their discussion. The group consisted of the 3rd Year Pandoras who also organized the football match Kazuya was thinking about. Elizabeth Mably, Arnett McMillan, Creo Brand, Attia Simmons and Ingrid Bernstein. All of them were well known and respected Pandoras, occupying the top positions of their year, excluding their president Chiffon Fairchild and her 'lapdog', as Arnett usually refers to her, Ticy Phenyl who held both 1st and 3rd places respectively.

Taking a sip out of her tea, the oldest heir of the Mably family allowed a smile to morph on her pink lips. "It would seem that this latest rumor caught quite the attention." She commented elegantly.

"Yes, but like most of them, they don't have much to offer. Only what everyone knows, that someone transferred and that whoever it is has something to do with a doctor. It's not something we could use." Attia spoke as she took another bite of her sandwich.

"I spoke to someone who has seen them with instructor Yu-mi Kim." Creo gathered everyone's attention. "Turns out that it's a Limiter that transferred, a 3rd Year Limiter."

"A 3rd Year Limiter?" Arnett exclaimed, her eyes widening at the prospect. "Why would someone transfer in so late? Doesn't he know that Pandoras prefer to do the Baptism with younger Limiters?" While she did bring a good point, there was no official rule stating that. "Finding a Pandora for him will be quite hard, I guess only those who haven't found a Limiter yet will be interested in him."

"Creo, what about the doctor? Do you know who it is?" Ingrid asked, her curiosity lessening since it was only a Limiter rather than a Pandora.

The dark skinned beauty only shock her head. "No, she didn't recognize him. All she saw was that he wore green clothes, a white and green hat and had a wooden cane, but that's it."

"Eh? What kind of style is that?" Was the confused voice of West Genetics' 'Mad Dog'. "I thought important people liked to dress fancy for these types of meetings or at least show up with their lab coat. What is with that guy?" Not belonging to an important family, Arnett didn't understand how these things actually work, she mostly relied in the information Elizabeth or Attia provided.

"Whatever the case may be, I'm sure we'll find out more tomorrow." Elizabeth once again attracted everyone's attention, giving them a beautiful smile. "After all, this Limiter will show up during our class tomorrow, I'm quite curious to see what type of person he is." With that everyone resumed their current activity. Elizabeth too returned to her tea but not before thinking about this turn of events. For some reason, she had a feeling that things will get a lot more interesting from now on.

Oh, how right she will be.

**xxx**

AN: And that's it for this chapter. Kinda on the short side if I'm honest, wanted to add some more, but then I would've dragged it too much so I left it like this. Hope you guys liked it, it kinda felt to me that I didn't do as well on the second half like I did with the first. I guess part of the reason is because I had to write this one pretty fast, I'm on my exam period now and didn't have much time.

Speaking of time, there won't be an update for an entire month. I will be going on some 'training' trip if you can call it like that (it's more like an extended vacation) and I won't be taking my laptop with me, too much trouble. I apologize in advance for this.

And now, to address a few things. I have read all the reviews and will keep everything you guys said in mind. Ichigo's family for one, I'll add a scene in the second chapter about that, it was my mistake that I forgot about them altogether, I will correct that. Also, someone gave me a pretty interesting idea that I just might use in the future, but that'll be much later.

Which leaves the usual: Was everyone in character? Did everything seem alright? If you saw something wrong like a mistake or an error on my part, don't hesitate to tell me.

Oh and don't mind the chapter titles. Most of them will be pretty random, I will probably edit a few when I come up with something better.

Guess that's all for now. Don't forget to review, follow or favorite if you like the story.

Bye bye.


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